The European Commission (EC) has fined Microsoft Corporation 561 million EUR for not allowing Windows users to choose their own preferred internet browsers.

It is stated in the announcement of the EC that this is the first time the corporation is faced with sanctions for not rectifying the situation after receiving complaints from the EC. This is considered a “serious infringement”.

In 2009, the commission demanded that Microsoft provides Windows users with a choice of a preferred internet browser before 2014. Complaints were related to the users not being able to choose their own browser at the start, having only the default one – Internet Explorer, AFP reports.

However, it was revealed during an investigation that 15 million Windows users had no options in internet browser selection in the period between May 2011 to June 2012, following the launch of Windows 7 Service Pack 1.

Microsoft has confirmed this problem, which the technological giant explained as a technical issue.

This is not the first time the EC and Microsoft have a serious argument over something. In 2008, the EC fined the corporation 899 million EUR (this amount was later reduced to 860 million EUR) for not following the request to share information with the corporation’s competitors, so that their products would be compatible with Windows.

The largest fine imposed by the EC to date is the one it issued to Intel Corp. in 2009 – 1.06 billion EUR.

Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit this Wednesday to Kaliningrad, the westernmost point of Russia, but the reports about his trip in the Russian enclave and over the border in Lithuania were strikingly different.

Latvian airBaltic airline carried 393,312 passengers in July 2017, which is 21% more than the same period last year. The number of passengers carried by airBaltic remains the highest it has ever been in the airline’s history, BNN was informed by the company.

U.S. Air Force Brigade’s Task Force Phoenix helicopters, which are stationed in Latvia as part of Atlantic Resolve operation, will be performing low-altitude flights from 16:00 to 18:00 from Lielvarde to Dobele on Friday, 18 August.

An Indian citizen travelling from Moscow on a bus was caught at Terehovo border control point in Latvia for presenting officers a fake EU family member’s resident card. No criminal process was launched. The person returned to the country he was travelling from.

From 21 August onward, Rural Support Service plans to start accepting applications for projects to receive support from European Maritime and Fisheries Fund’s action plan for development of fisheries in 2014-2020 as part of projects Innovation, Productive Investments in Aquaculture and Fishing and Aquaculture project processing.

As the Estonian Ministry of Finance wishes to boost the reputation and brand of the Baltic country's public sector, it has announced a procurement tender aimed at preparing an action plan for reaching these goals.

Because of Swedbank’s planned IT modernization work scheduled for the night to Thursday, 17 August, there may be short term problems with payment card and internet banking functionality, the bank warns.

If he became chairman of Unity, Economy Minister Arvils Aseradens would mobilize democratic forces to prevent the possibility of either Aivars Lembergs or Nils Usakovs becoming prime ministers, Aseradens said in an interview to 900 seconds programme of LNT.

The co-founder of the U.S. computer software firm Microsoft, Bill Gates, has allocated to charity 4.6 billion U.S. dollars (3.9 billion euros), which is the philanthropist's highest donation since the year 2000.

Latvia and Russia will exchange 7,000 universal permits for international cargo transports in 2017. This will be the largest universal permit volume in the past 15 years, as reported by Road Directorate.